Share this story!            

Zero Point interchange: CDA plans construction without environment impact study

By Fazal Sher

ISLAMABAD: Capital Development Authority (CDA) plans the start of construction work on Zero Point interchange early next month without carrying out the mandatory Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) study of the Rs 2.273 billion project.

Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) had recently directed the CDA to conduct the EIA study of the project before its launch.

An official said that the CDA had no plans to comply with the Pak-EPA instructions and the selected construction firm was set to begin work on the interchange by June 15.

He admitted that the CDA was rules-bound to carry out the EIA study of every project valuing above Rs 50 million before start of work but said that the interchange project would be delayed for long if the exercise was done right now.

In the EIA study, environmentalists focus on a project’s design, construction and operation. They first examine the project’s design and then the chances of air and dust pollution, adverse impact on surrounding natural environment and traffic problems during course of work. They also examine environment-friendliness of the project after its completion.

In the light of the study, environmentalists provide the department concerned with Environmental Management Plan (EMP) suggesting measures for environment conservation before, during and after the project’s completion.

It is learnt that the Zero Point interchange’s construction was proposed in 1997 but work couldn’t take off in the last 11 years due to the CDA’s mismanagement. Such delay caused the project to escalate from Rs 400 million in 1997 to Rs 2.273 billion in 2008.

Another CDA official said that the Planning Commission’s transport and communication wing had serious reservations about the project’s cost and two-year duration for its completion.

He said the proposed interchange would be built in the shape of cloverleaves and it would have four loops and four 10-kilometer long ramps (an inclined surface or roadway, which moves traffic from one level to another). The official said that the interchange would be free of signals ensuring smooth flow of traffic.

Home | Islamabad

Share this story!